10 Pieces of Wisdom From Hannibal Lecter

Let’s be honest: when scouring for cooking advice, Hannibal Lecter is probably the last person you want to call.

If you’re looking for a wry line about life, or a clever turn of phrase, on the other hand, you could do a lot worse than pick the brain (wait, that might not be the best phrase) of the scholarly criminal mastermind. He is a doctor, after all.

Which is precisely why we've plucked the greatest words of wisdom from the three feature films (The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Red Dragon) where Anthony Hopkins carnivorously chewed the scenery.

The following gems are just what the doctor ordered...

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“People don't always tell you what they are thinking. They just see to it that you don't advance in life.”

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“We live in a primitive time, don't we? Neither savage nor wise.”

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“The brain itself feels no pain if that concerns you.”

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“All good things to those who wait.”

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“Our scars have the power to remind us that the past was real.”

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“Think to yourself that every day is your last. The hour to which you do not look forward will come as a welcome surprise.”

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"If you can't be polite to guests, you have to sit at the kiddies' table."

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“First principles - read Marcus Aurelius. Of each particular thing ask, what is it in itself? What is its nature?”

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"As your mother tells you, and my mother certainly told me, it is important, she always used to say, always to try new things."